Godmother

"Remember what I said," Elmer said, then walked out. It was meant to be an admonition, but it felt more like a threat.

Following the counselor, Elmer knew their destination was her office. As for the general content of the conversation, Elmer had a premonition.

She wanted him to admit his mistake. Elmer had never experienced such a thing before; he had only heard about it from his classmates.

This time, he had the opportunity to witness it firsthand.

The counselor pushed open the office door without looking back and said, "Close the door."

After closing the door, the counselor sat across the desk, looking at Elmer somewhat sadly. She gestured for him to sit across from her.

Once he was seated, the counselor spoke with a tone of regret, "Elmer, you have always been at the top of your class academically, and an active participant on the basketball court, bringing a lot of honor to the class. We won the group first place in the basketball tournament for two consecutive years because of your outstanding performance. But why haven't you attended classes these past few days? Taking a day off would have been fine, but why did you request three consecutive days off?"

Pausing for a moment, the counselor continued, "If there is something important, you could have contacted me by phone. As long as it is reasonable, I would have definitely approved your request. Do you understand?"

The counselor's voice buzzed in Elmer's ears like a fly, making him restless.

He really wanted to find a piece of tape to cover the counselor's mouth or stuff his ears with cotton balls.

As long as he couldn't hear her nagging, it would be okay. Looking at this woman who seemed to have entered menopause, Elmer had no idea if the frequency of her sexual activities nowadays was inversely proportional to her verbal complaints.

Regardless of how displeased he felt, Elmer still had to pretend to be a well-behaved child, welcoming the counselor's earnest guidance with a smile on his face and nodding incessantly, hoping she would let him go soon.

After another ten minutes of talking, the old woman finally showed signs of stopping. She took out a piece of paper and made Elmer write a pledge before letting him leave.

Leaving the office, Elmer returned to the classroom feeling a bit dejected, ready to continue his classes.

When the bell rang, Elmer picked up his backpack and walked out of the school, heading straight home.

"Goodbye, bad boy!"

Sheila, who had opened the car door to pick up her two sisters, stuck her tongue out at Elmer ahead of her.

"What's so great about having a car pick you up?" Elmer noticed a quite familiar deep red sports car. He grinned and said, "Would you believe me if I waved my hand and a car stopped to pick me up?"

"Absolutely impossible!"

"Wanna bet? If I win, you bring me breakfast tomorrow morning. Deal?"

"Okay!"

Elmer chuckled wickedly, extending his hand. The Audi parked right next to him, and the car door swung open.

A jade foot clad in crystal sandals stepped onto the ground with a crisp sound. Julia, wearing a pink dress, emerged from the car.

When she saw Elmer, Julia became a bit excited and said, "Get in, I'll give you a ride home."

"Hmph!"

Sheila, feeling annoyed, got into the car.

"Sister, he's such a jerk!"

Sheila rested her head on Alice's shoulder.

Alice wanted to defend Elmer, but as she looked at her sister's graceful neck, she suddenly felt a bit thirsty. Not for water, but for the fresh blood hiding in her sister's veins.

Alice quickly tilted her head to the side, her chest heaving, and covered her face, not daring to look at her sister.

As Julia skillfully drove the car in the direction of Elmer's house, he asked, "Auntie, do you know where my house is?"

"Sometimes when your dad works late, I drive him home, so I'm quite familiar with this route. But don't worry, there's nothing between me and your dad."

In fact, Julia didn't need to explain this, as Elmer wouldn't really care. Julia glanced at Elmer through the rearview mirror and asked, "Did you receive the money?"

"I-I received it."

Elmer, who was mesmerized by the glimpse of Julia's soft shoulders, answered hastily.

"You should have called me or sent a text. I've been thinking about it these past few days, and I thought maybe you hadn't received the money yet.

Elmer, let me tell you something. Your dad's death isn't the only compensation you can claim. You could at least claim one hundred and fifty thousand or two hundred thousand."

Elmer seemed to sense a hidden meaning in Julia's words and replied, "You don't have to tell me. Anyway, I don't really understand about compensation and all that."

"What I mean is, I'll compensate you with two hundred thousand, and you can leave the remaining one hundred thousand with me. When you graduate from college and need it for business, you can ask me for it, and I'll even calculate the interest for you."

"Thank you, Auntie. You're so kind!"

Elmer couldn't help but call out sincerely and reached out to wrap his arm around Julia's neck, playfully pressing his face against her cheek.

"Hey, stop fooling around, I'm driving," Julia quickly said.

"I'm just so happy," Elmer sniffed Julia's earlobe and had the urge to give her a good kiss. But since she was indeed driving, Elmer had to give up and sat back in his seat.

He suggested, "Auntie, why don't you stay for dinner at my house tonight? You can also accompany my mom."

"Maybe not, hehe," Julia chuckled dryly, seemingly hesitant to face Barnaby's wife. "It's no big deal, as long as I don't mention that you're in charge of an airline company.

As long as my mom doesn't know about it, I believe we can get along very well. Oh, by the way, my sister works as a sales assistant at a supermarket, and she's not happy with her job.

Could Julia arrange for my sister to work in your company? She graduated with a degree in computer science, so being a clerk shouldn't be a problem."

"But didn't you say we shouldn't let her know that I'm in an airline company?"

"Well, you don't have to say you're in charge, just say you're the head of the Human Resources department. That way, it won't be awkward, right?"

Elmer chuckled mischievously. "You're a tricky little devil."

Julia huffed at his words. Hearing this, Elmer knew that Julia had agreed to have dinner at his house.

"Can I call you something other than 'Auntie'?"

"Hmm? Don't you like that title?" Julia felt a bit disappointed, fearing that Elmer wanted to draw a line between them.

Since Barnaby was already dead, her concern should now be focused on Elmer. It was also a kind of emotional support for her.

"Did Auntie forget the text message?" Elmer reminded.

Julia smiled and showed warmth in her eyes. "Godson."

"Godmother, even though you're a bit younger, being a dozen years older than me is fine."

That way, Julia became Elmer's godmother, and Elmer became her godson.

Upon arriving home, Elmer introduced Julia to his mother, sister, and younger sister, only mentioning that she was the head of the Human Resources department at an airline company.

He explained that the company was in need of talent and was looking to hire a computer-savvy clerk with a monthly salary of 2,500.

Upon learning that Julia worked for an airline company, Margaret felt a bit disappointed, but she still warmly welcomed Julia. Margaret was a typical housewife with a simple character and held no grudges.

Even though she knew her husband died in the line of duty, she still treated Julia kindly.

Afterward, Elmer and his sister went out to buy groceries to spice up the otherwise monotonous dinner, while his sister Rita engaged in a pleasant conversation with Julia. The two of them seemed to be enjoying their chat.

Around half-past five, Elmer returned with two large bags of groceries, and lobster was an essential part of the meal. Elmer's younger sister sat on Julia's lap, listening to her and Rita's conversation.

Even though she had just started middle school, she could barely understand what they were talking about. After listening for a while, she decided to retreat to her room to do her homework.

Elmer was a good kid, so he went to the kitchen to help Margaret with washing vegetables and cooking. As it approached six o'clock, a delicious dinner was ready.

The five of them gathered around the table, exchanged polite remarks, and began to eat.

"Mom, there's something I want to talk to you about," Elmer broke the heads and tails of the shrimp with his hands, peeled off the shells, leaving only the tender meat of the unlucky lobster.

With a mouthful of food, Elmer sought his mother's approval and said, "I want to ask Sun Auntie to be my godmother, what do you think?"

Margaret was somewhat surprised but had no objection. She put down her chopsticks and said, "If that's what you want, then go ahead. Why do you need to ask Mom?"

"Of course, I really hope Auntie Sun can be my godmother. It would be nice to have someone to look after me after I graduate. Also, if Rita passes the interview, she will still need the care of a godmother in that company, don't you think so?" Elmer winked at his sister.

Rita had long wanted to leave her job at the supermarket, so she agreed, "Little brother is right. It's always better to have someone to rely on."

"Uh, my children can be a bit thoughtless and say whatever comes to their minds. Please don't mind," Margaret said.

"Elmer is such a sunny and talented boy. Having him as my godson makes me very happy. His younger sister is lively, adorable, and considerate. I believe she will quickly blend into our company's big family," Julia smiled with oil stains on her lips, making them even more enticing. The slight plumpness of her lips left Elmer next to her stunned.

"Pour some wine for your godmother," Margaret urged.

"Pour wine?" Elmer suddenly realized and quickly stood up. He ran to the kitchen and took out a bottle of brandy.

He placed it on the table and unscrewed the cap, releasing a strong aroma.

"Godmother, I'm sorry. This is all we have at home. It's a strong drink, so just have a little. Don't drink too much."

As he spoke, Elmer poured wine for his unexpected godmother and also poured half a glass for his mother and sister.

As for his underage little sister, he let her have some chicken soup.

"Stingy!" Nydia pouted her lips, seemingly wanting fair treatment.

"Cheers!"

"Cheers!"

"Cheers!"

With a few gulps, the three women and one man finished the strong liquor in their glasses. Margaret, who rarely drank, coughed several times.

Elmer quickly scooped some soup for his mother, while Rita and Julia seemed unaffected and continued discussing various domestic and international matters.

With the ritual complete, Julia was now officially considered Elmer's godmother. From now on, she could approach Elmer in the capacity of a godmother.

For her, achieving this outcome was already satisfying. In her joy, she drank several times more than usual, and Elmer couldn't persuade her otherwise.

After the meal, Julia insisted on driving home, but Elmer's family wouldn't allow it. She was already swaying on her feet, and they were afraid she might get into an accident.

After discussing, they helped Julia into Margaret's room to rest.

"She seems like she might vomit. Get the basin and some wet towels," Margaret instructed before going to tidy up the table. Elmer went to prepare the basin and wet towels.

Seeing that there was nothing for her to do, Nydia returned to her room.

Rita wanted to take care of Julia, but she was also asked by her younger sister to help with math, so she had no choice but to go to her room with Nydia.

"Godson, come here and give your godmother a hug," the intoxicated Julia kicked off her high heels and lay crookedly on the bed. Her body writhed like a snake, causing Elmer, who walked in, to almost have a nosebleed.

"Come on, godmother misses you," Julia coquettishly said.

When drunk, many things that she usually didn't dare say or do would be realized.